Monday, January 31, 2011

If activists and peace advocates are looking to get involved in a region with a current myriad of issues, look no further then the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the eighteenth most populous nation in the world. While it is a beautiful nation that is rich in history and leaders like the late great Patrice Lumumba; there is currently a conflict that is causing horrid issues in the nation. Those issues range from a lack of corporate responsibility, regional conflict with other nations, women's rights, environmental issues, and so on. So where do local activists start? Which advocacy organization can they join up with that is really working on a grassroots level to bring about peace in the DRC?

When looking for an advocacy organization that does work on the DRC, Friends of the Congo is one of my favorite. They have a lot of dedicated workers who are raising the consciousness of the world community on the challenges of the Congo and they are supporting institutions in the DRC in bringing about peace. I reached out to Maurice Carney, Executive Director of the Friends of the Congo on his perceptive on the conflict in the region and how the local activist community can get involved.

What is going on the DRC right now? And why is it important for activists to get involved?

What is going on the DRC right now is the latest expression of what has been taking place over the past 16 years since Rwanda and Uganda invaded Congo - conflict and instability in the East, a weak state that is unable to protect its citizens and govern and the systematic pilfering of Congo's riches by rebel groups, Congo's neighbors, Congolese elites and multinational corporations from US, Canada, Europe, Asia and South Africa. The year ushered in the start of the 2011 election cycle whereby President Joseph Kabila and his majority party in the Congolese parliament amended the constitution in an initial salvo at restructuring the electoral law to ostenisbly perpetuate his tenure in office for another 5 years.

Activists should get involved in Congo for several reasons:
1. Congo is the key to the future of the African continent. If you care about Africa you must care about the Congo and what is taking place there. Congo is the fulcrum on which the African continent swings.
2. Congo is the source of many raw materials that are used in our daily lives. For example, it has 64 percent of the world's reserve of coltan which is key to the functioning of our cell phones, video games, laptops and many other electronic devices and gadgets.
3. Congo is home to the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world and the deadliest conflict since World War II, therefore if one is concerned about humanity and the human condition, they should be concerned about the unnecessary suffering of fellow members of the human family in the Congo.

There has been a lot of media attention given to rape and sexual assault in the Congo, specifically against women. What do you think is the cause of this alarming situation? And perhaps a solution?
Yes, a lot of attention has been given to the raping of the women. The suffering of the women is intolerable and a scar on the conscience of humanity. The suffering of the women is a product of the conflict and a tool used by rebel leaders to terrorize communities. In order to end the sexual violence in Congo, we must do our utmost as a global community to bring an end to the conflict, which is best done through diplomacy and political means by bringing pressure to bear on the major players in the conflict, Rwanda in particular.

We must also be careful that we on the outside refrain from looking at the suffering of the women through a pathological, pornographic lens. Social, political and historical context is vitally needed when looking at the condition of the women in the Congo. We must also highlight the work being done by brave Congolese women to change the situation that results in atrocities being committed in the country. We should listen to these women and work in partnership with them to bring about change.

Suggested readings and films? The Assasination of Lumumba
by Ludo De Witte The Challenge of the Congo
Kwame Nkrumah Rise and Fall of Patrice Lumumba
by Thomas Kanza The Congo: From Leopold to Kabila: A People's History
by Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja King Leopold's Ghost
by Adam Hochschild Che in Africa: Che Guevara's Congo Diary
by William Galvez A Bend in the River
by V. S. Naipaul Lumumba Speaks: The Speeches and Writings of Patrice Lumumba, 1958-1961
Translated by Helen R. Lane. Ed. Jean Van Lierde The Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara Kingsolver Heart of Diamonds
by Dave Donelson The Congo Cables:The Cold War in Africa--From Eisenhower to Kennedy
by Madeleine Kalb The Heart of Darkness
by Joseph Conrad George Washington Williams: A Biography
by John Hope FranklinKing Leopold's Soliloquy
By Mark Twain
Films and videos can be found here: http://congoweek.org/films-a-videos.html

Maurice Carney is a co-founder and Executive Director of the Friends of the Congo. He is an independent entrepreneur and human rights activist who has fought with Congolese for fifteen years in their struggle for human dignity and control of their country.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

This is the first official post of this blog, I have always intended to write more but I have been busy moving it along in my hometown, Washington D.C. I went through various title names before I decided to use "Global Tunnel", I created the name while riding the subway to work, and I thought to myself, *I can't wait to get out of this tunnel, and experience the sunlight*. Therefore I want to use this venue as a way to shine light on a few pressuring issues and maybe one day we can escape these tunnel of issues and experience the sun set on our global problems.

This is NOT a personal blog; it will be used strictly for issues and interviews & opinions from various non-profits and activist in the DC area on ways to commit to action. This is also NOT the only venue I will use for my writing, I will be reaching out to other venues to write or use my posts, this is just a space to keep an achieve of my writings.

About Me

Washington D.C resident who will cover activists and non-profits in the D.C area who commit to helping other people get involved and solve global and domestic issues. And give my perceptive on some of these pressing issues.